~~ The Potter’s Vessel ~~

Today is Dec. 17, 2003. It is now 1:30 am. I could not sleep, for My God had started giving me this message before I went to bed at 12:30. I could not get it off my mind, so I came to the computer to try and type some of this tonight. May God bless this message and give it as His very own Word. For that is indeed what it is.

I will start this message with this Scripture: Jeremiah 18: 1. The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

2. Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

3. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold; he wrought a work on the wheels.

4. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Jeremiah 19: 1. Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;

2. And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee,

3. And say, Hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle.

4. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;

7. And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

8. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.

9. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

10. Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,

11. And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.

God has spoken here of the many and horrible sins of the nation of Israel. He told them he will break them as the potter’s bottle or vessel was broken. Here God is speaking of the fall of the OT. He said I will cause you to eat the flesh of your sons and daughters. This is prophecy of the OT people having to come into the NT and ‘eat�?the spiritual ‘flesh�?or food of the Sons and Daughters of the NT, the Holy Ghost filled Christians.

It is the same as I taught in the message on the fall of the OT. There was no longer any spiritual food left in the old way; no prophets, no priests, no kings, and no way of salvation. Why?

They have sinned so much and because there was no faith, for they were serving God under the law by which no flesh shall be justified, therefore God did away with that old covenant. But what preceded this? The breaking of that Potter’s vessel.

Go back to Jer. 18: 4. The vessel that the Potter made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

What vessel was this, which was marred in the hand of the Potter? It is very important for you to learn this message.

Isa. 52: 13. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

15. So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Now who is this servant which was exalted? But his visage was so MARRED more than any man and his form more than the sons of men? Who is this? How was his visage marred?

Isa. 53:7. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is clearly identifying the marred and broken vessel or bottle as the crucified Jesus. .... It pleased the LORD to bruise him...he is led as a lamb to the slaughter. This is that earthern vessel which the Potter wrought on the wheel. This is the vessel made of clay, which the potter marred. Jesus was slaughtered as a sheep. He was the vessel of clay being broken.

Lam. 4:2. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

Here we have God bringing forth precious sons of Zion as earthen pitchers or bottles or vessels. This is the work of the hands of the potter.

Now for a Scripture showing that the earthen vessel is the human body: 11Tim. 2:20. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

1Peter 3:7. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered

Now there are two Scriptures proving that we are speaking of the human body as being this vessel or pitcher made by the potter.

Romans 9: 21. Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

22. What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

The potter has power over the clay. What is the clay? It is the human body made of the dust of the ground. It is ‘first man Adam�? It is this image of sinful man, which we are all in now.

But now did not he say that he had power over this clay body or vessel to make of the SAME LUMP of clay, one vessel unto honour and another vessel unto dishonour...of the same lump of clay?

What then are the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? It is the first -man Adam human body that we are all in in this life. So then he is saying that of this very same lump of clay he will make two different vessels; one of honour and the other of dishonour. That is not spiritual which was first, but the fleshly was first, then afterward that which was spiritual. These are the two different vessels made of the same lump of clay.

The Potter made the vessel on the potter’s wheel. Then he broke the first vessel, or marred it in his hand, and took of the same lump and made it another vessel as it pleased him. This second vessel was the vessel of honour or glory. This one pleased him.

Eze. 10: 9. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

10. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

Now the potter uses the wheel to shape and make the vessel he is working on. So the living creature represents Jesus and the Christians. As we journey in this life, in the first-man Adam body, that potter’s wheel is at work in our life. But on the inside is another wheel at work. The potter has put another spirit into us, at the time he filled us with the Holy Ghost. So now the new man is starting to live inside us and form Christ inside us. So, now the potter has another wheel at work inside this human vessel or clay body. So this is the wheel in the midst of a wheel.

The potter is working on us both on the outside and the inside. He is preparing another vessel inside us. This is the vessel of honour. The outter vessel of clay is the vessel of dishonour. Proof? Sure.

1Cor. 15: 42. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43. It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

46. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

See that Paul said the natural body is sown in dishonour and weakness. But it is raised in power or glory.

So then both vessels existed inside the one. The Christ was growing and forming inside the earthly vessel of the person made from the dust of the ground, or potter’s clay.

By this we have proven that the first man Adam is not in honour or glory. It is that marred image or vessel. God was not pleased with this first image or vessel, so he marred it and made of the same lump another vessel of honour. How was this possible?

Heb. 2:9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

11. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12. Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Now here we are told that Jesus came here lower than angels for the suffering of death, or being broken by the Potter. This was when God marred that vessel of clay. Go back to Isa. 53 and read. It said that God bruised Jesus and broke him there at Calvary. Notice this said that as we children are partakers of flesh and blood, Jesus himself took part of the same and suffered and went into death. This was not glory. This had no beauty. This was not where the Word of God was made flesh. This body of clay was not in honour. We prove in 1Cor. 15 that the human bodies, at death, are sown in dishonour and weakness. So was Jesus�?body sown in dishonour. Death is no honour. So Jesus was here in a vessel of weakness and dishonour. He was that first vessel the Potter wrought on his wheel.

Jesus is that vessel which the Potter broke or marred. But as I taught in the message of Emmanuel, Jesus had Christ growing or forming inside him to bring forth a Son of God in honour at his resurrection. This is when and where and how God the Potter made the same lump into another vessel of honour. This is where and when and how the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us in honour; at the resurrection of Jesus.

See that our Scripture in Heb. 2:10 said that by this act of making Jesus into a new vessel of honour, he would bring many sons to this same glory.

Romans 8:29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

God predestinated that those whom he foreknows by placing His Spirit into us, or Christ inside us, forming Christ in us, that we should be conformed to the IMAGE of his Son.

Now I ask you, is God bringing us forth as a God? If we are to be in the image of his Son, then whatever his son is that is what we shall be like. So will we be God? No. Of course not. Then neither is Jesus God. Not even now. If so, then when God brings us into the image of Jesus, then we would have to be God. But this is just not taught in His Word.

So then what is true?

Christ is the image of God. Christ is the Word. Jesus is not the Word. Christ was inside Jesus. God was in Christ. Christ is the anointed one. God anointed Jesus. God placed His Spirit into Jesus and caused Jesus to be conformed to the image of God. So by placing his Spirit into us, he causes us to be conformed into the image of Christ. Thus we become a vessel of honour, or resurrected into Glory.

Jesus did not have the glory before the Resurrection. Go back and read our Scriptures. He was a man of sorrows and no beauty that we should desire him. This shows there was no glory until he was resurrected. This is when the Word was made flesh, at this resurrection. This is when the potter made the vessel of honour. The first-man Adam vessel or body of clay was not any glory or honour. It was dishonour and corruption. It was killed and laid in a grave. It was marred in the hands of the potter to be made again into another vessel of honour.

So by this we find that God made a vessel of clay, an earthen bottle, or body and placed His Word into that human vessel. His Word is the Christ. His Word is the Seed of life. His Word is the power. His Word spoke the world into existence. His Word created our bodies. His Word knows every working of our bodies. His word knows how to heal our bodies when we are sick or broken in any way. His Word is the Power. Jesus, the human vessel of clay was not that power or that Word. The Word was poured into that vessel.

The Spirit of God, or the potter, took this vessel and broke it at Calvary. Then he took of that same lump, Jesus, and made it into another vessel of honour, the resurrected, glorified Christ Jesus. The power and the Word of God were still inside this man, this new vessel, and this vessel of honour. Now all the same power of God, the Word was given to this new man. The old man was laid down in dishonour. The new man now lives eternally with the glory of God in him.

People, we are to be made into that same image. We are to come forth at the resurrection, in the likeness and glory of Jesus. We will then bear the image of the Heavenly as we have borne the image of the earthly. We are now in the image of the marred, broken vessel of weakness. But inside this earthen vessel of clay, is that seed of life, the Holy Ghost, the Word of God living. The wheel of the potter is at work inside me to bring me forth a new vessel of honour at the resurrection.

John 12:16. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Luke 24: 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Now don’t you see from the above Scriptures that Jesus had to suffer and die BEFORE he entered into his glory? Then see that in the vessel of clay he was in before death, that this was not the GLORY of the Father? This was not the Word made flesh, for it said we beheld his GLORY. So before his resurrection he had no glory. He was a vessel of dishonour for he was in this human clay body of death. The Word of God was placed into that vessel to give out to us, but that was not the flesh of glory, which the Word was made into. He had no glory before the resurrection. This entire message proves that without a doubt.

Only one willing to call the entire Word of God a lie to back up man-made doctrine could continue to call Jesus the man God; the Word in flesh, or to say that God robbed himself in a body of flesh. Where is one Scripture saying that? See that there would be no way to understand the message given here from Jeremiah and Isaiah about the breaking of the first vessel if you say that human vessel was the eternal God? You could never possibly understand the Word of God believing that lie.

If Jesus had been God in this life, none of this could be true. If Jesus had been in honour or glory before his resurrection, none of this could be true. How can you explain any of these Scriptures and say that Jesus was God? It is not possible.

Luke 24:30. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Now the reason Jesus broke this bread here and gave it to his disciples was showing them that what he had said to them the night he was taken was now true: He had said this is my body which is BROKEN for you. Eat this bread in remembrance of me. He gave this broken bread to them now signifying that he will now divide his ‘body�?of spiritual life to them by giving them of his Spirit, the Holy Ghost. He now lets them share in being a servant of God with the I AM, the Word inside them, in power, to show the world the Father as Jesus had done. “All that I do shall you do and more�?

So this is more proof that Jesus�?death at Calvary was the Potter breaking his first vessel of clay.

Isaiah 53 1. Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath neither form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

When we see him, there is no beauty. This lack of beauty shows there was no glory in that first vessel, the human Jesus. He only received his glory or beauty after he was resurrected into new life, or the new vessel made on the wheel of the Potter.

Jesus was that vessel which was marred in the hands of the potter, God, and then made into a new vessel of honour. He was declared to be the only begotten Son of God in the likeness and glory of God by the Spirit of Holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Rom. 1:3. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4. And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus was made of the seed of David, His Father, according to the FLESH. See he was human flesh. Then declared to be the Son of God with POWER, or a new vessel of honour, by the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

When he was dead, there was no glory, no power, no life, no honour, and this could not have been God.

Jesus had an old man nature, or vessel of clay, same as we do. He had a new man, the Emmanuel, growing inside him, same as we do. He had the Word of God inside him. This was the I AM. That Word is the I AM, not that human vessel of clay.

John 14: 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word, which ye hear, is not mined, but the Father's which sent me.

28. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

31. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Jesus said the word I speak is not mine, but the Father’s. He gave me a commandment what to say. This proves Jesus is not the Father, nor God. The Word was God’s Word.

By: Jo Smith. 12/17. 2003 @3:am when I finished this message.